I have set up another page to update on my time in India. I fly on 28 February 2009 and hope to volunteer for 3-4 months before looking for longer term projects.
Keep up to date here: www.pramalinindia.blogspot.com
Steve Jobs, CEO and Founder of Apple and Pixar, delivering a speech to 2005 graduates at Stanford University.
This speech is only 15 minutes long - if you do anything today, please watch this - makes your think. For me, Steve articulated how I'm feeling right now.
In particular, he talks about connecting the dots...
Also, he speaks about finding what you love to do. To ask yourself everyday, "if this was the last day of my life, would I do what I'm about to do?" - knowing that if you answer 'no' too many days in a row, you need to change what you're doing. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition and everything else will become secondary.
You've got to find what you love. Your work fills a large part of your life, so you've got to love what you do. You've got to keep looking for what you love doing.
Keep looking. Don't settle.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
PwC Hindu Network in conjuction with the India Interest Group put on a colourful Diwali event on Monday. Tasty food followed by bollywood dance by two employees went down a treat. This was followed by a meaningful speech by Graham Ward CBE, one of PwC senior partners and also someone who spends 5-6 weeks in India each year as part of his role with the UK India Business Council.
The Guest of Honour was Alpesh Patel, of Praefinium International Asset Management Company. Alpesh is a very funny guy having heard him speak before (he hosted the charity auction for UnLtd India event earlier this year at Mishcon De Reya). He spoke about G20 Economics in a manner that President Bush would understand... (you had to be there!).
Alpesh is well known in the financial world, he has been a regular columnist in the FT and Asian Voice. He is a "Deal Maker" for sourcing high value investments in India on behalf of the UK Government. He has a passion for India that was inspiring!
Also in attendence was Arvind Chopra, Head of the India Interest Group and also Partner responsible for bringing Abdul Kalam, ex-President of India over to PwC. (You can guess what clients he works on... Tata's, Reliance etc!) Interesting to get his insights on the future of Indian economy in the face of this global crisis.. and it wasn't optimistic.
On 13 September 2008, 11 participants embarked on a transformational voyage to experience a different side of India. An experience to open their eyes, ears, hands and hearts to what it means to be a human being. To understand the challenges facing developing India and see how certain individuals had decided to stop talking and actually do something about it.
Laxmi Chhaya and I, had stepped up 8 months before to take on the opportunity to create this experience for willing participants. I was a participant the previous year, when Learning Journey was piloted - sitting here writing this today is testament to its long term impact. Laxmi, whom I consider the more experienced half of this partnership, had previously spent 4 months volunteering at Manav Sadhna (MS), one of the host NGO's for Learning Journey based in Ahmedabad.
Without sounding too 'cheesy' (which most sayings in India seem to be!), I have to proclaim that my 'Learning Journey' started back in January when I first spoke to the team (Meenal Sachdev, Dharmesh Mistry & Laxmi Chhaya). Laxmi and I went away and spent many hours simply pondering the purpose, vision and outcomes of what and how we wanted to shape the Learning Journey.
And so we did. Marketing kicked off quite quickly - getting a poster made up, creating a YouTube Promo Video and pulling together a list of contacts/events to attend. I certainly enjoy speaking to anyone about something I feel passionate about and so this was very enjoyable... on the phone, in person, on stage, on live radio, in the press... I was keen to make a very loud noise to make awareness about such a refreshingly new exciting concept.
As I was making my way round universities and corporate events, Laxmi was working hard setting up our days and nights in India - liaising with organisations and contacts in Ahmedabad and Kutch to ensure we would be as organised as possible (which will never be 100% in India - we learn the hard way!).
It just so happened that, as we sat our room at the Bharitya Vidya Bhavan for a Learning Journey 'Orientation', the clock had struck midnight in India on 15 August as she entered her 61st year of Independence. The room was buzzing as people walked out after 3 hours in which the scene had been set, expectations considered and new faces met.
I felt a deep sense spiritual welcome as my feet landed on the soil of Sardar Vallabhbhai Airport, Ahmedabad. It made sense to me to touch the floor to head and heart, as I mentally bowed down to Bharat Mata in a manner which felt like I was respecting a second mother. Looking back, she clearly picked me up and in loving embrace, said 'welcome, son, fear not for I am always here'. Now, as a reader, you may find this a little strange - but this to me is the most clear part of Learning Journey - the underlying spirit found everywhere, from Jayeshbhai (one of the key people who hosted us at Manav Sadhna) to the energy and enthusiasm generated by the participants - there was always a motherly feeling surrounding us that removed (most!) anxieties.
We had arrived a few days before the start of the Learning Journey to prepare final plans and meet organisations. A benefit we realised after is that this also helped us settle in to India (which you need a few days for) before hitting the ground running with the Group.
Bonding time - I get to speak to leaders and locals alike - hearing their story and being coached on how to make Learning Journey reach its full potential. Laxmi and I re-work several times, our detailed schedule with the benefit of several people at MS. Jayeshbhai was like a father to us and ensured we both felt comfortable and fully supported! It was a daunting prospect coming to India to lead a group having not had much experience myself and therefore this was very reassuring. I also see a new side of Laxmi - this quite retro (her trade mark Converse trainers!) young lady became a local in a matter of seconds... to which I followed suit! As we traded t-shirts for Kurtas, Trainers for Champals, we got ourselves mentally prepared for the coming week.
Before Learning Journey started, a few of the participants who came early, me, Laxmi and local friends went for a true indian bollywood experience - we went to watch the film "Rock On" - about a hindi rock band who go their separate ways and decide 10 years later to get back together and rock on. Actually very good movie.. catchy tunes! I stayed the night at Sunilbhai's house which is their family home (2 rooms inc Kitchen) on the outskits of the slum (referred to as 'Tekra'). It was quite an experience sleeping on the floor with a whole family and their dog! the dog happened to be sneezing next to my head which was a startling way to wake up!
Saturday 13th September
Learning Journey begins with an introduction to India by Jayeshbhai at the Environmental Sanitation Institute (ESI) in Sughad, located on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
[to be finished...]
I was fortunate enough to attend a talk by Ashok Bhatt, speaker of the Gujarat Assembly, at a restaurant in Birmingham. The event was organised by Overseas Friends of BJP (Chairman - Dr Surendra Sharma).
Seeing a window of opportunity to speak to him about Learning Journey, I sat next to him as he was eating. Pushing my Gujarati to its limits, I managed to get the message across.
To my amazement, he opened his speech referring to me and ConnectIndia (remembering my name!) and continued to speak with great passion about Indian challenges and his vision for the future. He did speak in Hindi, so it was difficult at times to keep up - but the jist of his message was mostly understood.
(to be continued)
On 10th June, PwC India Business Centre hosted a dinner with Dr. Abdul Kalam, a highly respected politician and visionary in India and around the world.
Introduced by PwC’s Chairman Kieran Poynter, Dr. Kalam was happy to acknowledge the growing realisation in the UK of the immense business opportunities in India. His speech, entitled 'Dynamics of Indian Economy' addressed the India Vision 2020 and India's journey to becoming a developed nation. He also recounted his experience in setting up a Pan African e-Network that connects 53 African states to address communication, healthcare and education needs which has evolved into his vision of a World Knowledge Platform.
He finished by defining key attributes of a creative leader, based on his experience, saying among other things that a leader must work with integrity and succeeds with integrity.
Please click on the pdf above to read the full transcript of Dr. Kalam's speech.
The evening continued with a presentation from Rachel Dwyer, Professor of India Cultures and Cinema at SOAS, on the influence of Bollywood in Indian culture.
Read in full Dr Kalam's speech. PwC Website.
I found the most useful part in the conclusion:
"My study indicates that the creative leadership is the most important component for attaining success in all missions. I would like to define based on my experiences:
Good place to work... PwC!!
After receiving an email forward with photographic evidence of the events and people of the Ramayan, I thought I'do a bit of research and found the following. Zee TV apparently did a story on what evidence is out there and the results seem conclusive... (not that I had any doubts to begin with!) Hanuman made his impact in Lanka and Lord Rama truly went over and recovered Mata Sita.
See links below for full story and photos:
Mil Gaye Ram Part I
Mil Gaye Ram Part II
Mil Gaye Ram Part III
Proof of Ramayan Photographs
"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."
"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problem."
"If I had no sense of humour, I would long ago have committed suicide."
Mahatma Gandhi needs no long introduction. Everyone knows about the man who lead the Indian people to independence from British rule in 1947.
So let's just move on to some of my favourite tips from Mahatma Gandhi.
1. Change yourself.
"You must be the change you want to see in the world."
"As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves."
If you change yourself you will change your world. If you change how you think then you will change how you feel and what actions you take. And so the world around you will change. Not only because you are now viewing your environment through new lenses of thoughts and emotions but also because the change within can allow you to take action in ways you wouldn't have – or maybe even have thought about – while stuck in your old thought patterns.
And the problem with changing your outer world without changing yourself is that you will still be you when you reach that change you have strived for. You will still have your flaws, anger, negativity, self-sabotaging tendencies etc. intact.
And so in this new situation you will still not find what you hoped for since your mind is still seeping with that negative stuff. And if you get more without having some insight into and distance from your ego it may grow more powerful. Since your ego loves to divide things, to find enemies and to create separation it may start to try to create even more problems and conflicts in your life and world.
2. You are in control.
"Nobody can hurt me without my permission."
What you feel and how you react to something is always up to you. There may be a "normal" or a common way to react to different things. But that's mostly just all it is.
You can choose your own thoughts, reactions and emotions to pretty much everything. You don't have to freak out, overreact of even react in a negative way. Perhaps not every time or instantly. Sometimes a knee-jerk reaction just goes off. Or an old thought habit kicks in.
And as you realize that no-one outside of yourself can actually control how you feel you can start to incorporate this thinking into your daily life and develop it as a thought habit. A habit that you can grow stronger and stronger over time. Doing this makes life a whole lot easier and more pleasurable.
3. Forgive and let it go.
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
"An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind."
Fighting evil with evil won't help anyone. And as said in the previous tip, you always choose how to react to something. When you can incorporate such a thought habit more and more into your life then you can react in a way that is more useful to you and others.
You realize that forgiving and letting go of the past will do you and the people in your world a great service. And spending your time in some negative memory won't help you after you have learned the lessons you can learn from that experience. You'll probably just cause yourself more suffering and paralyze yourself from taking action in this present moment.
If you don't forgive then you let the past and another person to control how you feel. By forgiving you release yourself from those bonds. And then you can focus totally on, for instance, the next point.
4. Without action you aren't going anywhere.
"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching."
Without taking action very little will be done. However, taking action can be hard and difficult. There can be much inner resistance.
And so you may resort to preaching, as Gandhi says. Or reading and studying endlessly. And feeling like you are moving forward. But getting little or no practical results in real life.
So, to really get where you want to go and to really understand yourself and your world you need to practice. Books can mostly just bring you knowledge. You have to take action and translate that knowledge into results and understanding.
You can check out a few effective tips to overcome this problem in How to Take More Action: 9 Powerful Tips. Or you can move on to the next point for more on the best tip for taking more action that I have found so far.
5. Take care of this moment.
"I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following."
The best way that I have found to overcome the inner resistance that often stops us from taking action is to stay in the present as much as possible and to be accepting.
Why? Well, when you are in the present moment you don't worry about the next moment that you can't control anyway. And the resistance to action that comes from you imagining negative future consequences - or reflecting on past failures - of your actions loses its power. And so it becomes easier to both take action and to keep your focus on this moment and perform better.
Have a look at 8 Ways to Return to the Present Moment for tips on how quickly step into the now. And remember that reconnecting with and staying in the now is a mental habit - a sort of muscle - that you grow. Over time it becomes more powerful and makes it easier to slip into the present moment.
6. Everyone is human.
"I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps."
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err."
When you start to make myths out of people – even though they may have produced extraordinary results – you run the risk of becoming disconnected from them. You can start to feel like you could never achieve similar things that they did because they are so very different. So it's important to keep in mind that everyone is just a human being no matter who they are.
And I think it's important to remember that we are all human and prone to make mistakes. Holding people to unreasonable standards will only create more unnecessary conflicts in your world and negativity within you.
It's also important to remember this to avoid falling into the pretty useless habit of beating yourself up over mistakes that you have made. And instead be able to see with clarity where you went wrong and what you can learn from your mistake. And then try again.
7. Persist.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
Be persistent. In time the opposition around you will fade and fall away. And your inner resistance and self-sabotaging tendencies that want to hold you back and keep you like you have always been will grow weaker.
Find what you really like to do. Then you'll find the inner motivation to keep going, going and going. You can also find a lot of useful tips on how keep your motivation up in How to Get Out of a Motivational Slump and 25 Simple Ways to Motivate Yourself.
One reason Gandhi was so successful with his method of non-violence was because he and his followers were so persistent. They just didn't give up.
Success or victory will seldom come as quickly as you would have liked it to. I think one of the reasons people don't get what they want is simply because they give up too soon. The time they think an achievement will require isn't the same amount of time it usually takes to achieve that goal. This faulty belief partly comes from the world we live in. A world full of magic pill solutions where advertising continually promises us that we can lose a lot of weight or earn a ton of money in just 30 days. You can read more about this in One Big Mistake a Whole Lot of People Make.
Finally, one useful tip to keep your persistence going is to listen to Gandhi's third quote in this article and keep a sense of humor. It can lighten things up at the toughest of times.
8. See the good in people and help them.
"I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won't presume to probe into the faults of others.""Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men."
"I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people."
There is pretty much always something good in people. And things that may not be so good. But you can choose what things to focus on. And if you want improvement then focusing on the good in people is a useful choice. It also makes life easier for you as your world and relationships become more pleasant and positive.
And when you see the good in people it becomes easier to motivate yourself to be of service to them. By being of service to other people, by giving them value you not only make their lives better. Over time you tend to get what you give. And the people you help may feel more inclined to help other people. And so you, together, create an upward spiral of positive change that grows and becomes stronger.
By strengthening your social skills you can become a more influential person and make this upward spiral even stronger. A few articles that may provide you with useful advice in that department are Do You Make These 10 Mistakes in a Conversation? and Dale Carnegie's Top 10 Tips for Improving Your Social Skills. Or you can just move on to the next tip.
9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self.
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
"Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well."
I think that one of the best tips for improving your social skills is to behave in a congruent manner and communicate in an authentic way. People seem to really like authentic communication. And there is much inner enjoyment to be found when your thoughts, words and actions are aligned. You feel powerful and good about yourself.
When words and thoughts are aligned then that shows through in your communication. Because now you have your voice tonality and body language – some say they are over 90 percent of communication – in alignment with your words.
With these channels in alignment people tend to really listen to what you're saying. You are communicating without incongruency, mixed messages or perhaps a sort of phoniness.
Also, if your actions aren't in alignment with what you're communicating then you start to hurt your own belief in what you can do. And other people's belief in you too.
10. Continue to grow and evolve.
"Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position."
You can pretty much always improve your skills, habits or re-evaluate your evaluations. You can gain deeper understanding of yourself and the world.
Sure, you may look inconsistent or like you don't know what you are doing from time to time. You may have trouble to act congruently or to communicate authentically. But if you don't then you will, as Gandhi says, drive yourself into a false position. A place where you try to uphold or cling to your old views to appear consistent while you realise within that something is wrong. It's not a fun place to be. To choose to grow and evolve is a happier and more useful path to take
Useful reading to get a background on the development side of India, published by the UK Department for International Development.
These can be mainly accessed via the India 'country profile' section of the DFID website.
See http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/Transforming-RL-India.pdf for Transforming Rural Livelihoods in India.
See http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/india-factsheet.pdf for the 2008 India factsheet.
See http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/hiv-india.pdf for Our story and responses to HIV/AIDS in India .
The India Country Plan from 2004 is on the website at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/capindia.pdf but will soon be replaced by a new CAP - see http://www.dfid.gov.uk/consultations/past-consultations/india-cap.asp for the consultation exercise (now closed) for the new strategy for the period up to 2015.
'Supporting security, justice and development - lessons for a new era' is at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Pubs/files/security-justice-development.pdf
Also, Rough Guide to a Better World - great easy to read publication giving an outline to poverty in the world and what you can do about it.
From the back cover:
This is an amazing project that I came across whilst researching Manav Sadhna and Jayesh bhai, of whom they have made a short video and released. Visit www.globalonenessproject.org for more information.
"The Global Oneness Project is exploring how the radically simple notion of interconnectedness can be lived in our increasingly complex world" - About Us Page
One worthwhile idea is the FREE DVD ("Living Library") they post to you so that you can screen the short video clips with friends and relatives. I have done this and as they promise, a DVD arrived in the post today which I shall be sharing with local people shortly! Also, the website has downloadable discussion guides and posters you can use (e.g. if you are in university and want to hold a viewing followed by discussion).
My favourite clips including the Indian ones I initially was looking for are linked below.
Short Films Online:
Global Oneness Project Trailer
Jayesh Patel - Living Service
Sewa Cafe - Love All, Serve All
Not Just a Piece of Cloth - Goonj
LEAD INDIA - A Times of India Initiative
On August 15, we embarked on an ambitious journey — a unique talent search which has the potential to make a huge difference to India. We began a hunt to identify new leaders for a new India, men and women with the vision and ability to empower India with the kind of political leadership that is so conspicuous by its absence.
The Lead India campaign stemmed from our belief — and overwhelming reader feedback — that even as India takes giant strides towards fulfilling its undoubted potential, it is doing so despite, not because of, its political leadership. ‘‘Good people don’t want to join politics’’ is an oft-heard lament. And yet, good governance is the cornerstone if India is to overcome the many hurdles that threaten to slow its journey to developed nation status.
And so, we decided to provide a platform to the good men and women out there who refuse to be daunted by the system, and struggle against massive odds to make life better for their fellow Indians. We invited them to come forward and use the Lead India programme as a springboard to public life.... read on
"We create institutions and policies on the basis of the way we make assumptions about us and others. We accept the fact that we will always have poor people around us. So we have had poor people around us. If we had believed that poverty is unacceptable to us, and that it should not belong to a civilized society, we would have created appropriate institutions and policies to create a poverty-free world." -Muhammad Yunus
After my Learning Journey experience, I was able to discover in more depth the opportunities presented by Indicorps for UK / USA based individuals who want to contribute to India's development through service-based placements. Below are some useful notes/background on the organisation. Alternatively, check out: http://www.indicorps.org/.
About Indicorps:
Indicorps is a non-partisan, non-religious, non-profit organization that encourages Indians around the world to actively participate in India's progress. Indicorps' programs are designed to build principled leadership, empower visionaries, inspire collective action, and unite India towards a common vision for the nation by productively engaging Indians around the world with the development of the country that defines their identity.
The core fellowship program aims to inspire a new generation of global Indian leaders through structured one- and two-year grassroots service opportunities in India. Indicorps firmly believes that contributing to the development of India at a grassroots level will help Indians around the world better understand their heritage, explore ways to strengthen the global Indian community, and encourage civic responsibility at home in their respective countries. Indicorps projects embody a firm and demonstrated commitment to promoting peace, inclusiveness, secularism, and the empowerment of India's people by encouraging action and understanding at the most grassroots levels.
Further, Indicorps aims to strengthen non-profit organizations in India. Indicorps recognizes that building capacity within local Indian organizations is essential to sustainable change. By placing fellows with small, high-impact grassroots organizations, Indicorps aims to bring new skills and perspectives to our partners. During their fellowship, Indicorps participants dedicate themselves to understanding the beneficiary communities and developing the strength of local partner organizations that have a long-term stake in the projects.
Indicorps' Philosophy of Change:
"By engaging talented young Indians from around the world to tackle India's most pressing challenges, we can nurture a new brand of socially conscious leaders with the character, knowledge, commitment, and vision to transform India and the world. "
Useful links:
Indicorps founder, Sonal Shah won India Abroad Person of the Year 2003 for her efforts behind Indicorps. Read a copy of press releases here: India Abroad - Sonal Shah. (8.84 mb pdf)
Sonal Shah's Acceptance speech for the above award: India Abroad - Acceptance Speech (4.89 mb pdf).
YouTube - Profiles and Promo Videos
Connecting with India: My Learning Journey
(This is a report on the 8-day Learning Journey to Ahmedabad and Bhuj to discover a different side of India, of humanity and of myself) 15 - 22 September 2007
We begin the orientation by playing games that make us look quite ridiculous – which had the desired effect of breaking the ice quickly, before we sit in a circle on the marble floor to discuss introductions and objectives.
they are empowering the underprivileged to communicate their stories in the public domain.
After a few technical hitches, evening entertainment begins as we sit anxiously on chairs outside in the soothing dusk air. A group of youngsters from Manav Sadhna put on a world-class performance of drama, dance and music that has literally travelled the World, promoting the fundamental principles of Manav Sadhna – love and peace towards all of mankind. Jayeshbhai then delivers a touching speech, giving an insight into the extremely talented children who had just performed for us. One boy used to be a shoe cleaner, earning 2 rupees a time, working as hard as possible to pay for medicine for his sick father. Another boy also demonstrated similar love and commitment to his father, collecting batteries to empty acid and reselling. The acid would burn his hands because he would be opening batteries without protection (more stories).
Pradeep, a Director of Navsarjan, explained some of the immediate issues addressed by her organisation such as violence against Dalits, ensuring primary education, eradication of manual scavenging and implementation of land reforms.
an example of one of Railway Children projects, carried out by ASAG (Ahmedabad Study Action Group) which seeks to provide much needed contact and support for children who find themselves alone at the Station. 
each. “Don’t do that, otherwise how will you make any money”, say’s one of his volunteered carers, to which he responds “no worries – they are our guests for once in a lifetime”. I thought of the Hindu saying “atithi devo bhavah” (Guest is God). Wise words which comes from the same nation where this child, who clearly has few material possessions, is prepared to give all he has as gifts to these momentary visitors. At this moment I discovered that even when one has nothing, he can still give love – something that came in abundance in what appeared to be a nominal gift. I thought about how much abundance we have back home and how relatively ungenerous we are. 
s blasting non-stop beats as an ocean of happy children surrounds us jumping up and down. As someone who is usually first to hit the dance floor at a party, I lead the way and go crazy with the children! The other participants follow when they realise how much fun this was.
we visit; it is massive and now has reach over 21 states with programmes aimed at pre-school education, accelerating reading technique, developing writing skills and basic arithmetic. Harini speaks with empowering vision and explains to us models of sustainability with education. Education must be fun to encourage learning, so Pratham has devised a unique interactive tangible learning approach, and packaged in such a way that it can be made available to distant villages. As a result, in the last 10 years, more than one million children have benefited through Pratham Programmes.
Lunch was in Barista, the air conditioned up-market espresso bar, a welcomed break from the baking heat of the summer sun. I was slightly disappointed to find that the chilli paneer did not taste as good as the stuff back home, but Dharmesh’s birthday cake was delicious… well, what was left available for eating anyway!
(in Gujarati) as we sat down in a thin room face to face with women workers. I was blown away by the passion and energy with which Madinabhen spoke to me – her conviction to the cause was clear. She described vividly how she, a Muslim, and her fellow Hindu sisters would unite to overcome tension in the region. As she described her struggles, you could see the life emanating from this leader of her community. One seriously powerful woman. We take a walk outside to see the women making bidi’s and agarbattis.
I see a dog in the corner, she is a mother and her body is withered showing her bones. Underneath, are two puppies trying to feed – analogous, I thought, to the situation of most mothers in the slum.
